Air-drying system



H. C. COLE July 5, 1921. 1,634,931

' AIR DRYING SYSTEM Filed March 5, 1926 Patented July 5, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

HARRY G. COLE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AIR-DRYING SYSTEM.

- Application filed March 5, 1926. Serial No. 92,402.

finally withdrawing any further products of condensation, caused by the low tempera ture to which air is carried by this expan sionQ The air thus completely freed of moisture, may then vbe'conducted to any suitable drying chamber, through which moving paper sheets, or material to be dried, travel.

Provision may further be made for heating the dry-air conducting pipe, from my novel air drying system, as well as for heating the top and bottom walls of said drying chamber through which the stock or material passes in the act of being dried, to any desired degree, by electric or other heaters and its temperature can be raised toany desired extent without danger of damage to the most delicate materials, which it may be desir'edto dry. 7

My invention further consists of a novel construction of an apparatus, whereby the above steps of my novel'method can be carried out. r

It further consists of other novel features of construction and advantage, all'as will be hereinafter pointed out in the specification and the claims appended'hereto.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown inthe accompanying drawings forms thereof which are at present preferred by me since they will give in practicesatisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organ zation of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described. r

The figure represents a diagrammatic view, partly in. elevation and partly in section, showing one form of apparatus for '31, whereby the air 1s discharged into the carrying out my novel method.

In carrying out my invention, I employ an 1111 compressor 1, comprising a casing 2, havmg a crank or other shaft 3 extending therethrough, one end of said shaft being provided with the pulley 4 to which power is applied by a belt or other suitable means. The shaft 3 actuates'an air com pressing device of any suitable'construction which need not be described in detail and at the upper end of the compressor casingis located the air inlet pipe6. The compressed air has its exit from the compressor 2 through the pipe 7, from whence the-air passes through thecoil 8 contained in the trap. 14C designates a pipe leading upwardly from the pipe 12 to the reservoir 15, which is elevated above the trap 10 and from the top of said reservoir leads the pipe 16 to the T-shaped fitting 17 which has the lower branch 18 communicating with the interior of the insulated expansion chamber 19.

I preferably construct the expansion chamber 19 with an insulated body or bot tom member 20,having the upwardly extending bafiies 21 at whose lower portions are the ports 22. The body portion 20 is provided with double walls or a acket within which is contained suitable insulation 23. 2d designates the insulated cap of the expansion chamber, which is providedvwith the upper pendant baflies 25, which are arranged in staggered order with respect to the lower upright baflies 21. It will be noted that the bottom wall 52 of the expansion chamber is inclined, so that moisture will flow downwardly through the ports 22 to the drain cock 53.

26 designates a seat, for the needle valve 27 whose valve stem passes through the pipe 18, which is provided with the stuffing box 28 said needle valve having the handle 29, for controllingthe flow of the air into the expansion chamber 19.

30 designates the exit pipe for the air, which is connected to the upper portion of the interior Of'the expansion chamber 19, and has its discharge outlets at'the points horixontully disposed, lon e'i tudinally ext ending chrunher I352 upon both sides of the sheet or materiel ill?) to be dried, which may be a, textile Fabric or a sheet of any other inatcrial, which it is i'lesircd to dry end which can be propelled through the chuniber 32 by any suitable means, which it is unneces sary to describe in detail.

ill and 35 de; "hate the ulper and lower wells of the dryine' chamber :2 111d in proximity to said walls, and to conducting pipe St}, I arrungze the upper and hiwer 5Q- ries oi electric hooters l3 and Iii", which may be controlled by EBYi'ltCliUE of any suitable construction.

Referring to the left hand portion of the ligure, 3S designates n pulley on the compressor shalt ll, which drives the belt 39 which drives the pulley it) on the shui'ft ll of the pump 4 :2,

1U designates the suction pipe which leads from the top oi. the tonic 01E condenifer ll to the member in of the pump l2 troin which lezuili the discluirge pipe ill to the water jacket l i' oil the coinprossor from which lead the pipe ill to the top ol the rudiator lil "0111 the bottom 01" which leads the pipe to the lJOd'Ulll of the tank or coni'lenier all. llf'he tan Sl which is for cooling purposes of the radiator water supply is mounted on the sl 3 in pro);- imity to the ra'u'lizitor ll).

ln nractice, l preferably employ the unloader o l oil the usuul construction, having the branch lending therefrom which forms 11 by-pnss to the compressed air e it pipe 7, and as the construction and iliuuct )ll of these unlouders is well known, any detailed description thercoi. is unnecessury.

The operation us followsz-- The con'iprcssed air is condo ,.11 :lironi the compressor 3 by the pipe and no ses through the coil ll which is s -uluner 'cd in the writer of the condenser ll, wherel y its ton'iperutmre is brought down to approximately atmospheric or room emporium-e, causing: :1 condensatiim, which is collected in the trup l0 and drown oil by the ralre or drain l3. "llhis air is now (-oiiiducted to the reservoir 15. where it renniins tor some time and further condensation tubes place.

It will. be seen that the reservoir 15 in'e'l orahly located at a higher level than the trap 10. with which it is connected by the inclined pipe 1-1:, so that any condrnsation uutoinutieally arilatns or flows from the reservoir 15 througl'i Hillll pipe ll into the trap 10.

It will consequently be seen. that the air in the upper portion ol the reservoir 15 has lost a lurge percent: of its moisture end. after being conducteu by the pipe in to the expunsioi'i tnnlc ill, it will be seen that l:

make further provision in the laller lor withilruwing any turtlwr .resulue ot entrained n'1o1sture, which may he in the air as the latter flows around the baillc platen and ill through the medium (Jill the drain coch 53.

in this expansion chamber 19 the pressure oi' the uir will be lmvered to approximately one pound above atmospheric pressure, and due to this expansion the temperuture of air reduced to a point where further final. r-oiuleusation tulccs place.

The air, as hereinbetore described, which is withdrawn from the upper portion of the expansion chamber 19, through the pipe 30 in now below atmospheric or room tc1nperz\ ture, and it will be apparent that by raising the temperature, its drying ell'ectivencss can be increased by means of the electric he lers S6 and 37, which are placed in pronllllll to the pipe 30 or itsexit branches 31 and the walls ill and 35. :It will be up parent from the foregoing that the material to be dried as 33, which may be in the form of a sheet or web of fabric, paper, or any other material, which beo'l' the most deli- Bilbo nature, can be dried without injury very effectively and expeditiously.

.lt will now be apparent that Iharve derised a novel and useful method and appuratus for drying, which embodies the teatures oi advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description, and while I have, in the present instance, shown and described pre- 'l'erred embodin'ient thereof which will give in practice satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that such embodiment is susceptible of modification in various PM ticulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventon or sacrificing any oil? its advantages.

l'laving thus described my invention, What ll claim as new and desire to secure byLettors Patent is .1. An apparatus for drying air comprisin g on air compressor, u condenser, a, pump, u radiator, a suction pipe leading from said condenser to said pump, a discharge pipe hauling from the pump to the water jacket o t the compressor, a discharge pipe leading from the water jacket oi. the compressor to said radiutor, :1v connection trom said radiutor to the lower portion of said condenser, a discharge pipe for the com n'essed uir leading from said coi'upressor through sold condenser, u trap into which the air passes arlter leaving; the condenser, a storage tunl; 1t a, higher level than. said trap, and having a, pipe leading from the bottom thereof to said trap, whereby any water 01. cmulenszition gravitates into said trap, an insulated expansion chamber provided with hailles, and u pipe leading from said storage chamber to said expansion chamber,und'prorided with 11 Volvo.

i An apparatus for ('lrying air comprising a coi'npressor, a condenser, a pump, a ra- Til diator, a suction pipe leading from said condenser to said pump, a discharge pipe leading from said pump to the water jacket of the compressor, a discharge pipe leading from the water jacket of the compressor to said radiator, a connection from said radiator to the lower portion of said con denser,'a discharge pipe for the compressed air leading fromsaid compressor through said condenser, a trap into which the cooled air passes after leaving the condenser, a

storage tank at a higher level than said trap, and having a pipe leading from the bottom thereof to said trap, whereby any water of condensation gravitates into said trap, .an insulated expansion chamber provided with upper and lower baflies, a pipe leading from the top of said storage chamber-to said expansion chamber and provided with a valve, and an outlet pipe leading from the upper portion of said expansion chamber.

HARRY C. COLE. 

